Strollers at Disneyland – Where to Get One and How to Manage It

You basically have three options when considering bringing a stroller into Disneyland. Bring your own from home, rent one on-site or rent one off-site. All three options have advantages and disadvantages.

(Regardless of where you get your stroller, it must be no larger than 36″ x 52″. You can find more details like this from Disneyland’s FAQ.)

Disneyland Stroller Rentals

Disneyland provides single stroller rentals with competitive pricing. You can rent your stroller for entry into Disneyland and California Adventure at the store located to the right of the DLR entrance, near the Kennel.

A few notes:

These strollers may not be removed from the Disneyland Resort. Meaning, you have to turn it in upon heading back to your hotel.

Disneyland does NOT rent double strollers.

On-site rentals are convenient because you leave your stroller at the park upon departure, with no need to check it back in.

Off-Site Stroller Rentals

If you did not bring your own stroller and don’t want to rent one from Disneyland, you have other options.

Most strollers are high end, name brand and similar to what you likely use at home.

Delivery to your hotel and pick up, too.

These strollers can be taken off-site, to your hotel, out to dinner, etc, etc. I can’t stress enough how critical this part is. You won’t want to wake a sleeping baby upon leaving Disneyland to walk to your hotel. Off-site strollers allow you to cruise in peace all the way to your room. See that pic of the two sleeping kids? Let those babies sleep. Don’t wake them upon leaving only to hear them fuss or cry all the way back to your room.

Comparison

Disneyland strollers do just fine, but a good stroller will change your visit and it’s worth the trouble to take it on the plane or pack it in the car. If you don’t want to fly with it, I recommend renting. I understand many people are concerned with airlines tossing their pricey strollers on and off the plane. I get it. So, rent one instead.

Here is what a Disneyland stroller looks like. It costs $15/day to rent.

Here is what you can rent instead. It also costs $15/day.

Should You Take a Stroller to Disneyland?

I’m asked this question often and the answer 99/100 times will be YES. Disneyland is hard work, friends. Hard work for little legs. Hard work for little ones in general. Babies and toddlers both need strollers at the parks.

A stroller provides so many things: quick maneuvering through the park, a place for kids to escape the crowds, a mobile nap spot, a seat for parades and shows, a place to hold all of your gear, etc, etc. Bring the stroller. Trust me.

And, I’m often asked if you should bring the “good” stroller. Meaning, should you bring the big side-by-side double stroller instead of the sit-and-stand? The answer is that you should bring the “good” stroller. Make your kids (and you) as comfortable as possible. I pushed a side-by-side double stroller…..a Bumbleride Indie Twin……through the park for years. It’s rather large. And, it was totally possible to push through the parks. Ignore people that tell you not to bring the “good” stroller. They’re a bunch of haters. (Not really.)

Strollers are great for any and all children at Disneyland and I encourage you to bring one, too, for children with special needs or sensory issues. Disneyland can be overwhelming for many children and having that safe haven will make your trip run more smoothly. Take a look at lots of other tips, too.

Who I Recommend for Off-Site Rentals

Traveling Baby provides top brand strollers for rent and so, so much more. Take a look at their site to see what all you can rent to make your Disneyland visit go smoothly. The site is available to answer questions during daily business hours. If I can help answer any, please don’t hesitate to ask me at Casey@DLRPrepSchool.com.

Search for Anaheim/Disneyland upon arriving at the page to see what all you can rent or click here to get started. And, don’t forget your discount!

***DLR Prep School readers receive 10% off strollers and all other equipment. Use code DLR10 at checkout for this savings.

Stroller Tips

If nothing else, tie a ribbon or bandanna if you don’t have a noticeable diaper bag attached that would alert someone else to your ownership. Making your stroller stand out will help you find it upon exiting each ride. A balloon works well, too.

Strollers are not allowed in all table service restaurants. Because of this, I recommend bringing your travel system if you have a young baby and he or she cannot sit up in a high chair. Having the removable carrier (cradle) will allow the baby to be comfortable with you and will leave your hands free for dining.

I also encourage you to bring any sort of baby wearing option you have – Ergo, Baby Bjorn, etc….they’re all great for the parks.

Managing Your Bags

If you are bringing a stroller, I suggest packing two bags for your visit to Disneyland:

Bag #1: Pack one with valuables (camera, wallet, tickets, phone) that is easy to carry on rides. I keep these items in a backpack or cross body bag that I wear throughout the day. No need to fumble around for everything upon getting in line. Have it all ready to go in your backpack.

Bag #2: Pack this bag with non-essentials, in case it were to get lost or stolen. For me, this bag contained sweaters, glow sticks, snacks, wipes, diapers, ponchos, blanket (for the parade) and more. Anything bulky and heavy was left at the stroller.

**I’ve never had anything stolen at Disneyland, but you just never know. Bring pricey items with you. For me, that also included princess dresses and Mickey ears that I would not want to replace.

Diaper Bag Recommendations

I owned more diaper bags than I did strollers during my baby years and that’s quite an accomplishment if you knew my stroller count. I tried Petunia Pickle Bottom, North Face backpacks, Skip Hop, Sparks, Two Red Hens and more. I tried them all.

Here is what I recommend for Disneyland:

This Skip Hop bag has lots of features and has the super important buckles, called “shuttle clips” built into the bag that attach directly to your stroller handle bar. After balancing other bags for a while, I switched to an option with the built in buckles. Loved it at $34.95 shipped with Amazon Prime.

This Skip Hop Dual Double Deluxe is a bag designed for 2 babies’ gear and I used it when I had 2 children in diapers. It stretches to accommodate a side-by-side stroller and includes the easy to attach “shuttle clips”, too. I loved this bag. So much room for everything. It costs $79.98 shipped with Amazon Prime.

Regardless of whether or not you own a Petunia Pickle Bottom bag, you can still own the stroller clips, which I highly recommend. They are made to attach the Petunia bag to your stroller, but I used them well past the use of that bag and instead attached shopping bags and other items I didn’t want to carry or stuff in the under carriage storage area. They strap on with velcro and then you can use the hooks for all sorts of things, including Disneyland bags filled with souvenirs. The clips are $18.00 shipped with Amazon Prime.

This Mommy Hook looks good, too, and holds several bags at once. I like the idea of the Petunia version better because you could add one to each side of your stroller to balance out, but if you are planning on just a bag or two, this Mommy Hook might work just fine. It sells for $6.00 with Amazon Prime.

Have some other tips or recommendations for me? Come visit me on my Facebook page. Would love to hear your input!

57 COMMENTS

I am searching for some informative article on Strollers at Disneyland on the internet for the last couple of weeks. Fortunately, I have found this one and this is very much useful and informative. Sometimes some articles make us confused and unable to decide which one is perfect for me. but you describe everything in a proper way with a nice explanation in this article. Thank you so much. Keep up your good works.
Cheers!

I’m loving your site! I’m gorging myself on information to calm my nerves as I prepare for our family trip in October “do Disney” and other SoCal attractions. Kids will be 7, 5, 4, and 17m and we are bringing our BOB Duallie and rider board attachment. We are excited! Thank you for all your posts, they are great. One thing I wanted to share here for a tip, (even though I haven’t been to Disneyland in over 15 years and never with kids) is getting a GPS tracker to attach to your stroller. Hide it so thieves won’t find it and ditch it. $35 will buy you a Tile Sport/Style and it’s a very handy gadget to have for anytime.

You give great tips and info. Thank you. But im worried about our upcoming trip. Will our joggibg stroller that does fold in half be alowed on the tram from the parking lot to the park? Also is the stroller allowed on the railroad in disneyland?.

What are the downsides of taking umbrella strollers? We go in a couple weeks and are flying with my 4 year old twins. I keep going back and forth on renting or taking umbrellas. I won’t haul the double on the plane.

Hi – I love your site. Thanks so much for all the helpful information.

We are taking our daughter for the first time in November and are doing 3 full park days. She will be almost 6. We are staying off-property about a half mile away and our hotel rents strollers. I don’t think she will want to ride in a stroller much in the parks but I definitely want one for the walks to and from the hotel. Is it possible to leave the stroller in a spot nearish the entrance for most of the day?

I think you’re smart to use the stroller for the walk. Unfortunately, there’s no where to stash it while you’re in the parks. You would need to commit to taking it for the entire day, otherwise, you’ll run the risk of it being stolen. 🙁

So I have found that I often find a spot to park the stroller as we go into each land based on where we are headed to next (to minimize back tracking). I find it too annoying to move the stroller and find new parking for each attraction, and my three year old gets annoyed getting in and out that often, so this strategy has worked well for us.

Hey Casy! We used lots of your recommendations when we took our kiddos to DLR in January and we have decided to surprise then with another trip January of 2017. I’m getting all our ducks in a row and came back to your site to double check your stroller rental recommendation and click through your link as we used and liked City Strollers on the first trip but see that you don’t have them listed in the article anymore. I totally understand if it’s a matter of advertising or partnerships but didn’t want to go with them again if the reason they are no longer listed and linked is that you started having issues with them and don’t recommend them anymore. Please let me know if you’d still recommend them or if you have a new recommendation for offsite rentals. Thanks in advance!

Hi Casey, I really LOVE your page, thanks!
We will be visiting DL during Halloween week, I have 2 boys (4 and 8 years old) and will stay in a off-site hotel (walking distance). My oldest boy stopped using stroller since he was 4, but I am seriously thinking about renting a double from City Strollers from our night walks from the park to the hotel (both kid’s weight is ok to stroller’s specifications).
My question is: Do you have experience with a 8 year old? I feel he is toooo big to use a stroller, but on the other hand I can’t image my husband carrying the 52lb boy half a mile.
Would you suggest renting a double? or do you have any experience attaching a buggy board to our stroller for the oldest? … and / or with a sit ‘n stand?
Thanks again!!!

I recommend renting the double. Disneyland is hard work. I pushed my double until my two youngest were well past what most people would do, but I didn’t care. Strollers give kids an escape, they keep them contained and safe, they provide seating for parades, they store your bags, etc. Go for the double.

If we rent a stroller from Disneyland in the morning, but go back to the room for a nap, what’s the odds of availibilty when we return? Or, should we just avoid the unnesary worry and just rent off site and have it delivered to the hotel room? We’re driving to California and don’t feel like lugging ours from home. Any input appreciated.

You can’t take them into the hotels. For that reason, I recommend renting from Traveling Baby Company. It’s no fun to have to leave the strollers in Downtown Disney and then carry kids the rest of the way. 🙁

Thanks for the info! I’m planning on bringing our personal jogging stroller for my 4 year old autistic son on our next trip to DL. But I’m concerned about the monorail. We will be staying at the DL Hotel and taking the monorail to the park is a big deal to us. Our stroller folds in half but us still pretty big and bulky when folded. Will it be allowed on the monorail?

I recommend bringing what is most comfortable for you and your kids. For me, that was a side-by-side. Both are totally fine for the park. You’ll get used to maneuvering through the crowds quickly.

The only advantage to a side-by-side is that for parades and such, both kids can see and essentially have “seats” next to each other. City Stroller Rentals, whom I reference in this post and highly recommend, has great side-by-side options for rent.

love this site! I’m bringing my 2mo next month and have been going back and forth between bringing our travel system or not. We are definitely bringing our carriers (a Tula and k’tan) but wanted to know if it was worth bringing the stroller where my LO has to be in the car seat in the heat.

are Disneyland’s strollers made for infants or just toddlers/kids?

thanks for all of this fabulous info. I feel so much more confident about starting my Disneyland tradition with my baby!

We rented 2 BOB strollers from an off-site service, 1 was stolen while we were on a ride and we had to pay over $250 to the service. I never thought this could happen at Disneyland, but it did 🙁 Out stroller was poorly marked and must have been an easy target. A lesson to overly mark your stroller. We reported the theft to Disney security, who were responsive and amazing, but it never turned up. A huge pain!

Thanks so much for this. We’ve travelled with our double stroller to Disney before but it’s a huge pain to travel with and break down on the shuttles etc. I told my husband the rental cost could come from his souvenir budget 😉

Hi Casey,
I’m going in about 2 weeks with my 5 and 9 year old. The stroller dilemma has me worried. My 5 year old is about the size of a 7 year old (he’s tall…takes after his daddy), so even piggy back rides would be a problem for very long. I prefer to do the parks w/out a stroller, but I’m afraid if he gets tired during the parades and fire works, we might have trouble getting him back to the room. But finding a stroller large enough to handle his size is a concern. We are staying at the Grand Californian, so we should be close, but still…

This is a little late but we love the city mini gt because it’s tall and the canvas is removable for taller kids. My 6 yo (49″ tall) just slouches down to get comfortable in it. She slept in it at wdw in November, next to my 3.5 yo. It was raining and the stroller was heavy, but we had a lovely date in Epcot with two sleeping kids in the stroller 🙂

My 6 yo walks more now. I’m debating whether to bring our double or rent. We have a longer CA trip where a single (our Bob) would be much better but the idea of bringing a single and renting a double is driving me crazy. Not sure if we can just manage with no stroller the rest if the trip or bring an umbrella stroller for the other parts of it.

We will be going to Disneyland for the first time with our 2 boys.. a 4 year old and a 16 month old. We have a double Baby Jogger Summit and a sit n stand and can’t decide which to bring. Ive read that it can be very difficult to navigate with a side by side stroller through crowds as well as finding a spot for parades, fireworks etc. Ive also read that people are of the opinion that it is rude to bring a side by side. :0(
Which would be better?
The double provides more storage and better napping arrangements for the kiddos but the sit n stand might be better for maneuverability. ??

Bring the baby jogger summit. I always recommend bringing your best stroller so that your kids are comfortable. It’s useful in so many ways and not rude at all. Disneyland is hard work for kids. Let them be comfy!

My family always used umbrella strollers when we went. Once kids are old enough to get in and out of the stroller themselves these work really well because they are small and lightweight and not terribly expensive if they do get stolen or need to be replaced. But definitely make sure you add something to the stroller to make it stand out. We had ours taken by someone who thought it was theirs (it looked the same but ours had our name on it). We just took their stroller until we found ours later at a different attraction and switched it back, haha.

Hello
I’ll be taking my kids to Disneyland next week (ages 4 & 7) and really like the idea of having a stroller. The combined weight of my 2 is 97 lbs only 3 lbs shy of the 100 lbs weight limit for the strollers city supplies Just wondering if you’ve had any experience with this or what to do?

At what age did your kids outgrow the stroller? I will be taking my 5 year old niece in April. I’m really torn between bringing our stroller from home, through the airport and all that garbage or if I should make her suck it up and walk (she will be almost 6 when we go). Thanks.

I used mine until my kids were 5 and 6 (a double stroller). I like the escape for kids. Disneyland is sensory overload and it’s exhausting and it’s nice for them to have somewhere to climb into when it all begins to be too much. It’s also good for impromptu naps, late nights (in case you want to stay while she sleeps), etc, etc. If you don’t want to deal with hauling it through the airport, I’d consider renting one from City Stroller Rentals, as listed in this post or even one from Disneyland. Strollers are also great for holding all your stuff. Once I gave mine up, I wasn’t sure where to put anything!

Bring the Bob. You’ll be happy to have a reliable and familiar stroller. I pushed a double Bumbleride Indie (similar to a Bob) for years and had little trouble. The crowds are thick, of course, but plenty of people have strollers and it all works together.

I’m taking a stroller to the park for the first time this fall. I LOVE our stroller (Baby Jogger City Select) and am finding myself feeling super paranoid about it (or it’s contents) being stollen. Any best practices to keep my stroller and gear safe while also making it possible for CM’s to move it if necessary? My first thoughts invoked removing a wheel or using a cable lock….because that wouldn’t be at all annoying to fiddle with before and after each ride :/

I brought my Bumbleride Twin Indie to the park for years with no issues. I, too, loved it and had the same concerns. While it’s not impossible, I think you’re safe bringing it. Read the post for details on what to carry with you and what to leave in the stroller.

You can also use a lock if that brings you more comfort. I’ve seen it done in the park before.

Always purchase insurance. Im my opinion, this is not the thing to cheap out on. I know this is a bit late but perhaps others will read this. I rented from City Stroller Rentals this last Sept. I rented a City Mini Double. It was stolen within 3 hours on our first day while eating lunch at the Plaza Inn. People can go their whole lives at Disney and not have a problem. I have the worst luck. But the insurance is so cheap and well worth a peace of mind. My diaper bags were also taken with the stroller. HUGE inconvenience to lose that when you have 2 little ones needing a change badly. At the end of the day, its up to you but I highly recommend insurance on anything rented.